The Cecil Whig., 1887-05-21
VI'tlleoplts (ol"n'n
A REPLY TO MR.. PHILLIPS.
Il it a Crime to Own Land ~


10y me. | pass over without comment
the caption, which is misleading one
and the remark that 'the Creator did
not see tit to create intrinsic value of any
kind" While dlsclaiming for himself
''the intimate familiarity with the secret
thoughts and purposes Of the Most High
that re enjoy" and pass on to consider
his argument.
Hi, statement that land values arise
from human eXertion is not true. Human
exertiou is the basis of wealth values,
but it is not SO of land values; their basis
is not labor, but population. 1t IS some
thing new III nature tina. the globe has
been brought up to state OF usefulness
by man. The proposition that land owes
its value to the labor expended upon it is
a novel one. There may be such land,
there is such land, but it has no value as
land; the value is all in the improvements.
1t is land values which it is claimed are
OF right public property, not improve
ment values.
The moral defence OF landlordism, that
to deprive them of it without full COM
pensation, or to place any burden upon
land not placed on other property would
be couliscation, is an assertion of the
doctrine of vested rights. The same de
fence jnstl'i3S property in slaves and de-
nounceS emancipation as robbery. The
answer is simple. The advantage and
the only advantage which any man de
rives from the ownership of land, is the
privilege OF buying for his private use a
tax equal to the economic rent OF the
land, and a taxing privilege though per-
mitted by the community for any length
of time may be terminated by the com
munity at pleasure without injustice, be
cause it does not deprive the beneficiary
of any property he has, but merely pro-
hibitS him from taking from other people
without compensation property which
they will i'll the future produce. To
emancipate slaves without compensation
is Just, because it takes nothing from the
Master but the power of appropriating
to his own use the product of the future.
So land values may be- Justly taxed away,
because to do it takes nothing from the
owner but the privilege of taxing his fel
lows. In truth the appropriation of eco
nom;c rent to private use is contiScation,
while a tax winch restores it to the com
munity is restitution.
Blinded by his postulate that labor ex.
pended upon land is the basis of its value
MIR. Phillips seems insensble of the dis
tlnctlOu between tax upon land
and one upon land values, a tax
upon land would be decidedly mex
pedlent, would simply perpetuate land
monopoly. no one could use land without
paying the tax, no land would be free.
but a tax upon land values would rest
only upon land which had a value and
upon that according to its value separate
and distinct from the value OF its i'm
prOvements. Much land in use and much
that was wanted for use. would have no
value because the speculation value
would be destroyed such land would be
free, would pay no tax, as population in
creaSeS and invention advanced, lower
grades in point of deSirableneSs would
come INTO use, the next higher grade
then acquire value and pay taxes, but
at no time until the limitations of the
earth were reached would the least
productive land i'll use pay taxes, even
though 1t were very productive, because
speculation in land being destroyed the
least productive land in use would not be
an object of compensation and cOuse-
quently would have no value. Thus the
equal rights of all to land would lee pre-
served, those who used land having no
value would enjoy the full fruits of their
labor and capital, paying no rent or tax
while those Who used land having value
would i'll their tax pay the community for
this privilege and like the others would
retain the full fruits of their labor and
capital. The fundamental error of Mr.
Phillips is in deeming labor expended
upon land the basis of its value. This is
perfectly apparent from the Selfevident
tact that no matter how much labor may
oe expended upon gwen piece of land
1t has no value as long as land contiguous
TO it, equally good, may be had for
nothing.
There is 10 part of his argument that
is not equally defective AS showing con
fusion OF thought, take the following
at has been said that man cannot
justly become The owner of land because
land was not made oy man but by the
creator, IRON, lead, copper and various
other metals were mace by the same be-
li.S who created land. Is private owner
ship OF these metals wrong?'
lie Includes also domestic auimals in
this Illustration, the fallacy here is dis
tlnct and clear. The Lord no more
created these metals than he created
49, '''' 'iS''' It IHtCI
That all wealth Is transmitted Land, gives
'''o w '.'o '''',o" 'n"' IL Is not more an
appropriate on]ect OF ownership than
rand bnt IL ls the transmutatloh that
makes all Ihe difference. The tranSmu-
ta'loh OF the metals from the ores Is the
result oi human eXertIon, and the pro
quot "i lne ADAPTATION by man OF the
III" VI n"' u al increase III domestic anl
III LIS Is as II! !"ch the result OF labor as
the piouue'ioh oi the metals, ana as man
Is entitled TO Tie results OF his own eXer
ton hls title to the forms of wealth thus
produced is unlmpeAchable- Bat the la
Dor OF All mankind Tor all time cannot
au" 10 Oh al'hihlsh py one grain the SUB
stance o' Inc eafth, ana that which man
has not produced he eau have no indiS-
pu'aeie title TO.
Ills Illustration OF the 'unearned in
crement OF wealth Is equally delusive.
here is no such thing as nnearned in
crement OF wealth which is not wholly
dePeAdeat upon private ownership of
la'i". DuI "heh lana Is Tree, or what
amounts TO the same thlng' when It's
Salue - 'uliy taAeo' lheIe Is no 'nnearn
Gu increment OF wealth; lor the posses
sion ol "eal'h theh gives no power to
com 'ii'au tie "eaIIh OF iaooiS OF others
except III lalr exchange Free land tends
I" ie""ce tnS market supply o! labor be
10" tue demand, ana consequently to
keeP wages at the point OF earning, there
lofe no one can accumulate wealth at the
eAPGnSe ol o'hetS' II ne increases his
"e|i'" t' pS uSi"s ms wealth. he hnrtS no.
h;ia. ~. i,'S te;'oS ~ ''i'No ";aeS SUN
ht. '''' ~ '''''"S Vii' "0''i'i" lor ID